This invention relates to a sorter for arranging sheets of paper discharged from the main body of a copying machine or the like into a predetermined number of groups.
Sorters are generally classified into a movable bin type and a fixed bin type. The movable bin type of sorter carries movable bins which are moved according to the number of paper sheets to be sorted. The fixed bin type of sorter carries bins which are always held in respective fixed positions. Most sorters of the fixed bin type include a conveying belt for conveying paper sheets discharged from the main body in a vertical direction, and guide means for introducing sheets from the conveying belt to a selected bin.
FIGS. 9 and 10 show a conventional sorter. Indicated at 101 are conveying belts which are driven in a downward direction. Indicated at 102 are conveying rollers. The conveying roller 102 is made in contact with the conveying belt 101 and rotated in such a direction as to convey a paper sheet in the downward direction. Also, one conveying roller 102 corresponds to one of vertically arranged a plurality of bins 104. Under the conveying roller 102 is provided a horizontal shaft 106 which carries a plurality of claw members 105. It should be noted that in FIG. 9, the horizontal shaft 106 is disposed in a direction perpendicular to the drawing plane. The claw members 105 are horizontally spaced from one another so as not to come into contact with the conveying rollers 102. Also, the claw members 105 are pivotable about the shaft 106. When sorting, only claw members 105 which faces a selected bin 104 are pivoted in a clockwise direction in FIG. 9 so that they are projected in a conveying path defined by the conveying belt 101.
Consequently, a paper sheet conveyed in the downward direction by the conveying belt 101 is introduced to the selected bin 104 by the pivoted claw members 105.
Also, there have been disclosed other ways to separate a paper sheet from a conveying belt, specifically, a way in which a paper sheet is separated from a conveying belt by a claw capable of coming into direct contact with the conveying belt, and another way in which a paper sheet is separated from a conveying belt by a claw attached to the same shaft as a conveying roller 102.
In the sorter of FIGS. 9 and 10, a paper sheet is inserted between the conveying roller 102 and the claw member 105, and then pressuringly transferred to the selected bin 104 by the rotation of the conveying roller 102. In this condition, the sheet is kept from rising in portions corresponding to the conveying rollers 102, but is liable to rise in other portions. Consequently, the sheet comes into a form of wave as shown with a solid line 107 in FIG. 10. Accordingly, it could be seen that a rise portion of the wavy sheet is liable to come into contact with a lower portion of a support member 103 to cause jam.